Rectifier



F. A. YOUNG i HECTIFIER Filed April '7, 1925 Patented lJuly 21, 1931UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FRANK A. YOUNG, OF MERIDEN, CONNECTICUT,.ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, '.lO RADIO INVENTIONS, INC., OF NEWYORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK RECTII'IER Application led April7, 1926. Serial No. 100,266.

My invention relates` particularl to what are commonly termed cold cathoe devices depending upon difference in area of the anode and cathode.

The main object is to provide a simple, durable and reliable devicewhich can be commercially made.

Another object Iis to provide a device wlch will operate uniformly andenconomica v Aiiother object is to provide an eiiicient and durabledevice for full wave rectification.

In the preferrerd form, the device has two anodes and a single cathode,all insulated from each other but mechanically inter-connected so as toreinforce each other.

Fig. 1 is an end view of the device with the tube being shown incross-section.

30 Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view and side elevation.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the various internal parts.

The envelope or container 5 may be of any suitable material, such asglass of any suitable shape.

The circuit terminals or conductors 6, 7, and 8 are brought out througha pressed stem or press 9. The cathode elements 10 is preferablysupported at opposite sides by the conductor 6 and a supplementalsupporting rod 11 which is mounted in the press 9. The anodes 12 and 13are comparatively small in area and located with respect to the cathodesurfaces so as to permit a predominating one-way ionization. The anodesare spaced apart at all points of the cathode surfaces, a sufficientdistance to permit ionization to take place. The anodes are 4opreferably of graphite, supported in sockets 14 which are mounted on theends of pins 15, which, in turn, are connected to the terminal by asealing-in wire 16. For convenience in manufacture, the lower end of theanode may be nickel plated at 17 and then welded or soldered in theupper end of the tube 14. IThe lower end of the tube 14 is soldered orwelded to the upper end of the pin 15. The tube 18 is of glass andsurrounds the tubular 5o portion 14 of the anodev base and itself issealed into contact with the upper end of the press 9. Around the u perend of the glass tubes 18 and the anodelbase, I mount an insulator 19for preventing the transference of heat back to the press.

The two anodes and the cathode are braced with respect to each other andwith respect to the press 9 by a reinforcing plate 20. This plate haslugs 21 which are welded to .the supports 6 and`11. Additional bracingmembers 22 may be welded to the cathode 10 and the plate 20. The plate20 is also preferably provided with raised bosses 23 which providerecesses beneath to receive the upper ends of the insulators 19. In thisway the in sulators are braced with respect to the plate 20 and theplate 20 is held bythe posts 6 and l1, thus affording a four-pointsupport for the plate 20. The plate 2O is provided with passages-24forthe anodes. The insulators` are preferably provided with flanges 25 soas to leave a space beneath the boss 23 for the l collection of materialadjacent the edge of the opening 24 which might otherwise shortcircuitthe device.

The parts are made as light as practical not only to conserve materialand save eX- pense but also to prolongv the life of the parts which arelikely to be broken by impact and inertia ifthey are made too heavy. Itis also desirable to separate the parts as much as possible to bring amaximum cooling effect by radiation as well as convection.

Although I do not wish to. be limited to the particular materialsspecified, I might state that I have found good results can be attainedby the use of nickel for the cathode l0, steel for the plate 20, lavaforthe insulator 19, graphite for the anodes, nickel for the tube 14 andpin 15,.and glass for the insulating tube 18. After the parts have beenassembled, the tube is evacuated and an atmosphere of an inert gas, suchas neon, is preferably provided. The pressure of this gas may be equalto one and one-half centi-` meters of mercury. It should be understood,however, that I do notV consider the invention as limited to thispressure or to that particular gas.

I claim:

1. A rectifier comprising an envelope having a press, a wire sealed insaid press, a metallic tube secured on said wire, an insulator on saidtube, and a aphite anode with a plated base secured 1n said tube and acathode adjacent to said anode.

2. A rectifier comprising an envelope containing a Wire, a metallic tubesecured on said wire, lava and glass insulators on said tube, and agraphite anode with a plated base secured in said tube and a cathodeadjacent to the anode.

FRANK A. YOUNG.

